Jon Tucker, a New Zealand-born author and adventurer, has lived on a traditional ketch he built with his wife Barbara for over three decades, during which they raised five sons. Now based on Bruny Island, Tasmania Jon and Barbara are sailing the Pacific again, with Jon working on the third book of his environmental adventure series.

As teenagers in New Zealand, Jon and the girl next door, Barbara, constructed a small, black, pirate-themed ship to call home. Years later, with their five boys, they left their teaching careers, packed up schoolwork, and set sail into the South Seas.

Jon’s writing draws from the voyages he, his wife, and their sons embarked on. Snow Petrel narrates the true tale of Jon joining two of his grown sons on a voyage to Antarctica’s windiest locale in a small yacht they built.

The Those Kids series blends real and fictional adventures inspired by his sons’ lives, aged 9 to 14, who sailed a fleet of black dinghies, each bearing a pirate name and emblem. His narratives are rich with sailing, camping, fishing, environmental themes, and problem-solving.

Set in Tasmania, Those Snake Island Kids and the sequel, Those Eco-Pirate Kids, follow the same children on a houseboat vacation in Sydney’s northern waterways. The upcoming Those Shipwreck Kids continues their adventures in New Zealand.

A former teacher passionate about reading aloud to students from fifth to twelfth grade, Jon advocates for this practice to foster a love for reading. His books, designed with short chapters, simple illustrations, and maps, support this belief.